Context: Recently, the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) has announced a photography competition on medicinal and aromatic plants to convey the message of conservation of these medicinal plants.
The theme of the competition is ‘Know your Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs)’.
Key Points

• Established: Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, popularly known as CIMAP, was established originally as Central Indian Medicinal Plants Organisation (CIMPO) in 1959. It was rechristened as the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) in 1978.
• Objectives: It is a frontier plant research laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). It focuses on high-quality research in biological and chemical sciences and extending technologies and services to the farmers and entrepreneurs of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs).
• Headquarters: Lucknow, U.P.
• CIMAP, Lucknow houses the National Gene Bank of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, in addition to seed gene bank, tissue, and DNA bank.
• Research Centres: Bangalore (Karnataka), Hyderabad (Telangana), Pantnagar (Uttarakhand) and Purara (Uttarakhand).
• CIPAM is presently accredited by International Centre for Science and High Technology- United Nations Industrial Development Organization (ICS-UNIDO) and Indian-Ocean Rim Association (IORA) as a focal point for research and training on Medicinal Plants among participating member countries.

International Centre for Science and High Technology

• ICS was established in 1988 and operates under the legal framework of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). It focuses on the transfer of know-how and technology from industrialized to developing countries.

The Centre focuses its activities on four core scientific programs

• Rational drug design and development
• Next-generation biofuels and bio-based chemicals
• Geothermal energy
• Nanotechnologies
• Headquarters: Trieste, Italy.